Renowned water expert Dr Hassan Abbas has said that the water issue can be more of a uniting force instead of divisive one if tackled wisely and appealed not to politicise the crucial issue.
According to reports in the local media, Dr Abbas made these comments after witnessing destruction of Indus delta during a day-long visit to Shah Bandar coastal area along with a team of concerned citizens including Dr Rana Shafiq, an agriculturist per excellence, and Nazeer Ghazi, head of an NGO.
Dr Abbas said that the water crisis was a matter of grave concern, further saying that “If we have to solve this problem, we will have to move from politics to science and knowledge to seek a solution. And the latest research says that there should be no hindrance in the flow of a river, so no need of dams and even barrages.”
He said the world (west) had introduced revolutionary irrigation models like Riverine Bed Field which had made dams and barrages redundant for irrigation purposes. However, for the purpose of electricity generation, Dr Abbas said that it could be made through the use of solar technology, instead of chaining rivers, depriving lower riparians of their right to survival and turning delta which hosted rich biodiversity into a “land of misery.”
Dr Abbas called for regenerating the Indus delta and river to reverse the process of sea intrusion and other environmental disasters caused by the hindrances erected to block the flow of the mighty river.
During the visit to Shah Bandar, Dr Abbas and his team witnessed the places which were once famous for rice production but had now been destroyed by salty seawater.
Fishermen and farmer communities have also been affected by this and are forced to live a nomadic life.
